U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) stated that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) decision to list the Lesser Prairie Chicken (LPC) as threatened is purely political and ignores the hard work of Oklahomans to preserve and protect the bird in order to avoid such listing.

“While better than an endangered listing, the Obama Administration’s decision to list the lesser prairie chicken as threatened is purely political,” said Inhofe. “Oklahoma and four other states’ conservation agencies, industry participants, and the Oklahoma Congressional Delegation made extraordinary efforts to protect the bird in order to keep it from being listed by the Administration."